Anyone else hate "The Squid and the Whale?"

[AtomicKitten]

Just saw it for the first time.

I'm sure it was a good movie having won the awards listed below, but I f***ing hated all the characters.
I normally don't have such a negative visceral response to films.

Anyone?


Awards
* Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay
* Six Independent Spirit Award nominations. Best Feature, Best Director (Baumbach), Best Screenplay (Baumbach), Best Supporting Male (Jesse Eisenberg), Best Female Lead (Laura Linney) and Best Male Lead (Jeff Daniels)
* Three Golden Globe nominations (Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Jeff Daniels for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Laura Linney for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy)
* Won Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Screenplay
* Awarded Best Screenplay by the National Board of Review
* Won New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Screenplay

[misanthrope]

1. I just saw it last night...

...I thought it was alright.

Can't say I hated all the characters. A couple of them got on my nerves and most took themselves far more seriously than necessary, but that was what gave it humor.

It evoked portions of my own past and childhood at points.

And I think Jeff Daniels is a far better actor than he often gets credit for being.

[AtomicKitten]

4. yes, Jeff Daniels is underrated.

[Suich]

2. I just watched it this afternoon and didn't like it any more than you did!

There was too much weird stuff going on, especially with the 2 boys. I have no idea why it won all the awards. Except for (marginally) the mom, the characters weren't very likable. The whole thing made me feel uncomfortable.

"Everything Is Illuminated" was much better!

:hi:

[AtomicKitten]

3. I'll add that to my Netflix queue.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Jeff Daniels' character was a pretentious a-hole, the older son parroted his emptiness, the younger son a freak show onto himself, and mom, well, mom was probably the most likable of the bunch getting her groove on with the very cheesy William Baldwin.

Perhaps that's the brilliance of the film and why it won an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

However, watching their dysfunction was tantamount to having root canal.

[Suich]

5. When the younger son smeared the locker,

who's locker was it???

[AtomicKitten]

6. Probably random

because he did it to the library books too.

I think it was because Dad spoke (and later mom when she talked about her affairs) inappropriately about sex to the kids and junior was too young to process it, so he acted out in that delightful fashion.

Like I said, freak show.

[Suich]

7. Oh, yuk.

The "library books" went right over my head! Now I'm gonna have nightmares thinking about my son, who's 42!